Planning kids vs. parents games

A popular end-of-season activity is to hold a special "kids vs parents" baseball game, however there are some important things to consdider when planning such game.

Field availability

Adults are not allowed to bat at most of our fields except Ballantyne, which is our only full-sized field. Since this field it used by our JR team, as well as by the SR league players, it's very difficult to find a slot for a kids vs. parents game.

Safety

It is really not safe for adults to be hitting real baseballs when younger players are in the infield -- we're talking 13U and below. All kids want their dads to hit a homerun, but real baseballs travelling at such speeds can cause a serious injury if they hit a player.

One option is to use tennis balls, wiffles, or foam "smush balls" for when it's the adults' turn at bat. The yellow GoSports foam balls are the same size as regulation baseballs and still have lots of flight time in them, making them a perfect substitute for a kids vs. parents game. Tennis balls have lots of flight in them, but they also have an unnaturally high bounce, so may not be quite as good for this purpose.

As a bonus, using foam balls will let you use any size field.

Modified rules

While kids are perfectly equipped for sliding and running bases, their parents probably don't have cleats and it's probably best for everyone involved if they don't try to slide. We suggest using the following modified rules:

• Pitchers pitch underhand to their own team.
• No catcher, or catcher stays to the foul side of 3rd base line for any plays at home and to return pitched balls.
• A batter is given 5 good pitches to hit. They are out after 3 strikes, or if they don't put a ball into play after 5 good pitches. Wild pitches are not counted.
• When a runner is within 10 feet of the base they are going to, any play becomes force play, so the fielder can just step on the bag to get that runner out. This eliminates the need to tag or slide -- both of which can result in injury to kids or their parents.
• Maximum 5 runs per inning.

Following these rules should allow for a fun activity without unnecessarily endangering either young players or their parents.